Common cents ?

The English economy was once controlled by barons. Nineteenth-century America was run by robber barons. Historically, capitalism has grown from unpretty beginnings - might is right - and its growth spurts are often accompanied by ugly land grabs. But with the evolution of kinder capitalism, involving checks and balances as well as democratic institutions, these massive wealth disparities generally give way to a more level playing field.

Maid in Brazil

"Reading the Twitter feed was like "a slap in the face", says Thiego Piruka, a journalist in Brasilia. "I didn't feel good. I was like, 'Wow, I say that a lot,'" he says. "I felt a little bit ashamed. But at the same time, I thought, 'I can do better, I can stop saying these things.'"

"Brazil has around seven million maids - more than any other country in the world."

Wow

"London has been secretly asked if it would be able to take over the 2016 Olympics because Brazil is so far behind on preparations, the Evening Standard has learned. An informal approach was made by Olympics bosses to discover whether enough venues from the triumphant 2012 London Games could be brought back into use. The disclosure follows growing panic at the International Olympic Committee over the shambles in Rio, where organisers are badly behind schedule. IOC vice-president John Coates has called Brazil’s preparations “the worst I’ve experienced”. He told a Sydney conference last month that construction had not begun on some venues, infrastructure was significantly delayed and water quality was a major concern with just two years to go."

Recent commentaries on Brazil

1. The 50-year snooze.  2. BBC Radio 4 Misha Glenny on "The Invention of Brazil." 3. Misha Glenny again on why "The beautiful game exposes Brazil’s ugly flaws."

Google is the Brazil of customer service

And anyone who's read this blog will know that's not meant as a compliment. This post could ramble on for ages so I'll try to keep it short and to the point.
1. This blog comes courtesy of Google as well as myself, showing that I am still a Google junkie and will require much effort if I am to wean myself off it.
2. Years ago I was evangelistic about Google and would happily have paid an annual fee just for using its magical search engine. I began to drool about Google taking over my life. Just imagine: Google email, a Google calendar, a Google computer, a Google phone !

Memory lane ?

It's easy to be neutral about a place when you don't live there. But rants such as this, followed by endless pages of comment and debate, do tend to make me shiver with recollection. 

What do you do ?

The next time someone tells you they are "in property," remember what that notorious anarchist Winston Churchill said:

"Roads are made, streets are made, services are improved, electric light turns night into day, water is brought from reservoirs a hundred miles off in the mountains -- and all the while the landlord sits still. Every one of those improvements is effected by the labour and cost of other people and the taxpayers. To not one of those improvements does the land monopolist, as a land monopolist, contribute, and yet by every one of them the value of his land is enhanced. He renders no service to the community, he contributes nothing to the general welfare, he contributes nothing to the process from which his own enrichment is derived."

Read the whole piece here.